Start of All

Stranger things.

She listened keenly, asking a question or two to properly grasp what she was being told. Her mind was revving up, trying to find a way. Shebby almost screamed her lungs out when she looked at Rose after finishing telling her what had happened. She was so lost in thought, she looked like she was possessed.

A few minutes passed while she was in that state. Suddenly she snapped back to the present, and said..

“Shebby!!”

“Get me a pen and a notebook.”

She passed to her what she had been asked quickly. Rose quickly noted a couple of things, then looked up to Shebby, then said...

“Get your ass in the shower..”

“We have work to do.”

When Shebby was done, Rose told her the first step was to face the reporters to silence any negative rumors that may have been circulating. Rose called up all the media houses, planned a press conference for the next hour, and then asked Shebby to post on her social media that she'd be having a press conference in a few.

Rose set the plans in motion for her client, guiding her on what to say, how to act, and answering the paparazzi’s questions

“Time glides by so fast..,”

“When you stop interacting with it with a nagging nature.”

“It’s almost time, Shebby.”

“It’s time for you to face the press”

They both got up, Shebby straightened her outfit, drew a long breath, opening the door to go to the press conference with Rose being right behind her like a shadow.

As soon they faced the paparazzi, camera flashes were seen here and there. She thought she couldn’t do it but when she saw Rose smiling reassuringly at her, she started.

“My name is Shebby..”

“Like you, all gathered here are aware there has been a video that has been doing rounds on the internet, on your screens..”

“It’s hilarious, isn’t it..?”

The crowd of reporters laughed, which seemed to ease up on the tension. She continued…

“This is not an apology, far from it. I have no regrets about what I have done in this life.”

“Would I do it once again if I had the chance..?”

“Absolutely.”

There was a frenzy of questions following afterward, which were met with a no-comment reply from Shebby. Finishing the press conference so strongly, she headed out accompanied by Rose, back to her house.

That press conference was the magic bullet needed to turn the incident around.Shebby then invited Rose over for some drinks, but she declined the invitation stating that it had been a full day and she needed to rush home. They talked as she called and waited for an Uber. Shebby looked delighted. Her image was even more magnified by the speech.

“Rose..?”

The Uber driver called out as he came to a stop in front of them.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

She answered, bidding Shebby goodbye and getting at the backseat of the Uber. She gave the driver her destination while sinking into the soft backseat of the Uber to enjoy being driven home. The scenery glided past as the car moved forward. Her eyes soon became heavy, and she soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

She found herself in a place dark and terrifying, smelling of death and destruction. For a moment she couldn’t move, gripped with utmost fear. She sensed something was stalking her, she was like prey and the thing out there was a predator lying in wait for her. She looked around but all she could see was darkness so thick it enveloped her like a blanket.

She decided to move, she must try to find a way out. Fumbling blindly in the darkness, she tried to get something, anything to hold on to. It was difficult as the ground was uneven and she kept on falling on her face so many times that she lost count.

It was a futile attempt, and she was almost giving up resigning herself to her fate until she latched on to something. Her heart pounded threatening to explode out of her chest as she felt what she had latched on to.

She gripped what she had latched on with both hands, slowly getting herself back on her feet. What she felt was like a skull with holes, then something crawled on her skin, climbing.Rose swatted it quickly, scratching where whatever had crawled on her skin had been.

Her instincts called out to her and she turned around to look, shaking intensely. Then baam!!! She came to face with a beast with emerald blue eyes which were shining as bright as the headlights of a truck at night.

All that could be heard afterward was a shriek and her taking off like the demons from hell were after her. She ran wild, throwing caution to the wind, then she jumped, finding herself falling on solid ground under her feet again, then…